Hard hitting report shows MSD breached client trust

"Government agencies must treat people's
information with the highest standards of respect," says
Privacy Commissioner, Marie Shroff. "But this hard-hitting
report - especially since it follows hard on the heels of
the ACC report - shows just how far some of our major
agencies have to go before we can be confident our
information is protected.

"Basic IT security safeguards
to protect personal information were missing, from the time
the ‘kiosk' system was built. And it's unfathomable that
the Ministry did not address Dimension Data's revelations
that sensitive personal information was exposed on network
shares. The decision about how to handle such a serious
problem should have been made at the highest levels of the
business. This raises questions about the wider culture of
handling information within MSD.

"Looking at IT security
is only one part of the picture. Recent privacy breaches
make it plain that a complete mind-shift is needed in some
quarters. There's been far too little focus on the fact that
there are real people behind the information that government
agencies hold. Those agencies need to develop and embed
strong leadership, governance structures, policies and
practices to manage personal information at every level of
the organisation.

"We often don't have a choice about
handing our personal information over to government
agencies. The least we can expect is responsible stewardship
of that information.

"The problems with the MSD kiosks
are now evident. Whether there have been wider failures of
leadership, policies and strategy about how personal
information is handled within the Ministry is still to be
seen. However, I expect the next stage of this review to ask
some penetrating questions.

"I welcome the MSD Chief
Executive's acceptance that the Ministry's performance was
inadequate here, and his commitment to examine the
Ministry's systems and culture in the second phase of the
review."

The Privacy Commissioner has formally opened an own-motion investigation into the MSD incident but will wait until phase two of the Deloittes inquiry has been completed before deciding what else might need to be considered or done.

ALSO:

WorkSafe NZ has laid one charge against the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in relation to the shooting at the MSD Ashburton office on 1 September 2014 in which two Work and Income staff were killed and another was injured. More>>

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters has announced his intention to stand in the Northland by-election, citing his own links to the electorate and ongoing neglect of the region by central government. More>>

The Government has appointed 12 New Zealanders as members of the Flag Consideration Panel which will engage with the public about a possible new New Zealand flag, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English says. More>>

ALSO:

ALSO:

The first I knew of my mother’s charges was when I was called by a reporter yesterday. I spoke to Andrew and we agreed there is a conflict of interest at the present time which means I will temporarily stand aside from the Social Development portfolio. It’s the right thing to do… . More>>